96 million "shade balls" released into reservoir to combat crippling drought

A new initiative by the
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has taken a
surprisingly low-tech approach to water conservation, by covering the
LA Reservoir in 96 million black "shade balls." It's an
attempt to combat water loss through evaporation, and to heighten water
quality.

California's water
shortages are now believed to be so severe that the state would now
require 20 inches (51 cm) of rainfall – that's the equivalent of an entire
year's precipitation – to remedy the crippling rain debt.

In this context, the LA
reservoir has become an even more vital resource, spanning an
impressive 175 acres (71 hectares), and holding roughly 3.3 billion US gallons (12.5 billion liters) of
water – enough to support the entire city of Los Angeles for up to
three weeks.

Each shade balls costs
36 cents, with the entire project amounting to US$34.5 million. Whilst
this may sound like a lot of money to turn LA's largest reservoir
into a massive watery ball pit, other water-saving alternatives would
have proven far more costly to implement.

Another option that had
been under consideration would have seen the reservoir separated into
two distinct basins with the use of a bisecting dam, and protected
with a floating cover, at the much greater cost of $300 million.

The unusual strategy
represents a significant cost savings of around $250 million, and
could prevent the loss of up to 300 million US gallons (1.14 billion liters) of water to
evaporation. Simultaneously the shade balls will increasing water
purity by preventing contamination via wildlife and dust, as well as
reducing sunlight-triggered chemical reactions.

It is estimated that
the sheer quantity of water saved under the initiative will be
sufficient to provide drinking water to around 8,100 LA residents
for an entire year. Scroll down for a video showing the release of 20,000 shade balls into the LA Reservoir.